Discussion of Health Legislation in Congress on MSNBC

... to some extent the germans have been far less tough about the type of sanctions that they're willing to see. >> today we're told they're all in agreement and they took one line and a line for all six of the parties. wait to see whether that actually happens. david kay, thank you so much for helping us understand better what the inspectors will be facing when they get into it and take a look at this reactor. >>> we have been focusing on foreign policy here in geneva and you have been busy as the senate marks up the health care bill and the house works on all its agenda. what have you seen so far from the senate side? they rejected a lot of the key points that the house members wanted. >> they, clearly, andrea, are differences in approach and how we get to where we want to get between the senate and the house reflected in the senate finance markup. great agreement between the senate health and education labor committee bill and the bill that we have marked up or the bills that we have marked up in the house. there's an agreement there and senator reid is clearly indicated that when the senate finance committee completes their work they have to meld together their two bills and we will see at that point in time where the differences lay. there is no difference between the senate and the house majority is that we need to pass a health reform bill we're being driven by costs for individuals and families and businesses, as well as for government that the present system is not sustainable for any of those folks. >> what the speaker said today what has been her position although there has been a wiggle room at various times is that you all don't intend to go to the floor without a public option. does that mean that you have to deal with those differences in conference? >> i think we will have the speaker absolutely correct and i think we will have a public option and the difference is how exactly will that public option be framed and there is a difference between the ways and means committee and the vergence of the public option and the energy in commerce public option. we'll get those worked out and i think she's absolutely right, we'll have a public option and, yes, if the senate bill does not include a public option, we have to work that out in conference. the president and the house and the senate committee, education committee believed that in order to bring down prices to have viable competition a public option which is a choice and alternative available to americans is necessary to have to drive down prices and keep competition honest. if it's not in the senate bill, as they pass it, we have to work it out in conference. >> let me play for you a bit of what your counterpart, your republican counterpart john boehner had to say about the democratic approach. >> democrat takeover of health care will cut medicare benefits for millions of seniors and by drafting amounts. how they can stand there and claim that they're saving medicare while they're proposing some $500 billion in cuts to medicare over the next ten years does not pass the straight face test. >> what are your response to that republican charge? >> what doesn't pass the credibility test is the republicans who have frankly been not in favor of medicare throughout its life and who have designed a program medicare advantage which ultimately would drive medicare out of business and then make it more expensive. what we're trying to do, yes, make sure that medicare is available to people long term. we think we are going to do that and medicare advantage is, by everybody's estimate, substantially overpaid. as a result of that overpayment, medicare recipients are subsidizing those who are in medicare advantage. that's what they're referring to, but, in fact, the overpayment is not sustainable or medicare will not be sustainable in the long run. we are moving to save medicare and we do believe that the people understand that it has been democrats who have promoted, supported and sustained medicare over the years, not the republicans. so, there seems to be somewhat of a wolf crying that they're in sheep's clothing. >> let me ask you speaking of people crying out and saying things that get a little bit confusing, alan grayson, democratic congressman suggests that republicans want people to die and joe wilson, should he apologize. ...